Recognition Counts

Recognition Counts helps skilled immigrants to achieve their career goals in Canada by providing financial assistance through a loan that can pay for Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) requirements. If you are a skilled immigrant who needs help with getting credentials recognized in Canada, you can access financial supports including:  

• An Assessment loan of up to $3,000 with Assiniboine Credit Union to help pay for costs related to assessment of foreign credentials for regulated professions.  
• A Foreign Credential Recognition loan of up to $30,000 with Assiniboine Credit Union to help with the costs of having your qualifications recognized in Manitoba (for occupations that are regulated, non-regulated, and the trades).

It is possible to receive an Assessment loan and then a Foreign Credential Recognition loan, however a person may only have one type of loan at a time.

Recognition Counts loans are flexible, personal, and affordable. You can use the money for the costs associated with achieving your career goals in Canada, including:  

• Assessment expenses with a regulatory body 
• Tuition fees, textbooks and materials, a computer, exam fees
• Costs associated with the process of registration with a regulatory body, or Apprenticeship Manitoba (exam fees, professional registration costs, bridging programs, etc.)
• Tools, equipment, work clothes, personal protective equipment (PPE) needed for your work
• Transportation and accommodation to take a required exam in another province that is not available in Manitoba
• Basic living expenses (food, housing, transportation, childcare) 

Recognition Counts loans are offered based on the following terms.

Amount 

Assessment loan: up to $3,000

Foreign Credential Recognition loan: Up to $30,000 

Term 

Assessment loan: 3 years

Foreign Credential Recognition loan: 6 years  

Rate 

You can choose between a fixed interest rate or a variable interest rate for your loan. Interest rates are based on Assiniboine Credit Union’s Prime rate. As of November 2025, the rate is currently 4.45%. 

Fees 

There are no loan fees, and you can pay off the loan at any time without penalty. 

Loan Calculator

Use this tool to calculate your monthly payments according to the Recognition Counts Loan features. This tool includes all the features of the Recognition Counts Loan such as the interest only accreditation stage monthly payments and the staggered disbursements (more than 3 months apart).

Open Loan Calculator

If you answer yes to all of the questions below you are eligible! Unsure how to answer a question? Call us at 204-927-9937!

1. You are a skilled immigrant with foreign credentials or work experience

2. You are seeking to work in Manitoba in the same occupation, a similar occupation, or a different occupation from what you did before you came to Canada

3. You are not planning to be self-employed

4. You have developed a Career Plan that is realistic and achievable and that can be realistically accomplished in two-and-a-half years or less. Note: some career plans take longer than two-and-a-half years and may not be eligible. For more information about Career Plans, see the How Do I Apply? section above.

5. The occupation you are seeking a loan for is in-demand in Manitoba

6. You are a Manitoba resident and; 

a. a Permanent Resident of Canada, or

b. a Naturalized Canadian Citizen 

c. an individual granted refugee status in Canada (Convention      Refugee/Protected person) and holds an Open Work Permit*, or

d. a Temporary Foreign Worker with an Open Work Permit*, or

e. a Temporary Resident with a Post Graduate Work Permit* and has verifiable credentials from outside Canada 

You are not eligible if you have an international student visa, a live-in caregiver visa, or you are a refugee claimant/asylum seeker, or you are a visitor. 

*If you have an Open Work Permit your Career Plan must be able to be completed before the expiry date of your Permit. 

7. Your gross household income must be less than the amount you see in the Eligibility Calculator below. Note: Gross income is the total amount of your income before taxes and deductions and includes things like wages and government benefit income sources such as Canada Child Benefits. If you are not sure what income to use, call us at 204-927-9937!

To use the eligibility calculator, select the number of people who live in your household and hit Calculate to see the maximum household income for this program.

Step 1 – Choose Your Occupation

The occupation you choose to pursue in Manitoba could be the exact same occupation that you used to do outside of Canada, or it might be a similar occupation to what you used to do, or you might be seeking certification in an entirely different occupation.

If you aren’t sure which occupation you want to study or train for, a career coach at an organization that provides Career Services can help you explore different occupations to help you decide. Career Services are available at many organizations in Manitoba such as:

Manitoba Start (https://www.manitobastart.com/)

Immigrant Centre (https://www.icmanitoba.com/)

Pluri-Elles ( https://www.pluri-elles.mb.ca/#)

Westlake Employment Services (https://westlakeemployment.weebly.com/)

Eastman Immigration Services (https://eastmanimmigrantservices.com/)

Regional Connections (https://regionalconnections.ca/)

And others

Once you have selected an occupation to focus on you will need to develop a career plan that will guide you towards your goal.

Step 2 – Research Your Career Plan

To be considered for Recognition Counts you will need to develop a Career Plan for the occupation you are going for.

A Career Plan is a written plan that confirms your goal and outlines all the steps and activities (both required and optional) that you will need to complete to achieve your goal. It will also include an estimate of how long it will take to complete each of those steps/activities, and it includes a financial budget that considers all the costs that you will need to pay while you complete your Career Plan.

If you need help developing your Career Plan, we recommend that you seek Career Coaching Services as described in Step #1 above.

Check out the Am I Eligible? section to learn what criteria your career plan needs to meet to be eligible for Recognition Counts

Step 3 – Obtain a Recognition Counts Registration Code

Once you have made your Career Plan you will need a Recognition Counts registration code to access our online Career Action Plan application form, or CAP for short. 

If you have received a registration code and need help setting up your account or filling in the CAP, please see the Forms and Guides at the end of this section.

Recognition Counts has two formal referral partners: Manitoba Start and Manitoba Jobs and Skills Development Centre. The staff at these agencies are able to refer people directly to Recognition Counts by providing the registration code.

Check out these options to see which one is right for you:

     A. If you have made your career plan with one of Recognition Counts’ referral partners:

i.    If your plan is eligible your career coach will give you a registration code that you will use to create an online account and enter your career plan data into the system.

ii.  To log in for the first time, click the Register button, then to complete the log in process. Completing the Career Action Plan shows your experience and qualifications to work in your chosen field in Manitoba. The work you put into this plan will also help you decide if applying for a Recognition Counts loan is the best decision for your future.

iii. Your employment coach/counsellor will review your Career Action Plan. If recommended, it will then be submitted to Recognition Counts.

For more details, please see How Can I Find a Referral Partner? Section below

     B. If you have not made your career plan with one of our Referral Partners:

i.    In some situations, a person may be able to submit their directly to Recognition Counts for review.

Contact the Recognition Counts Loan Coordinator to see if this applies to you by calling 204-927-9937.

ii.   If your plan is not eligible to be submitted directly, we will refer you to one of our referral partners.

See the How Can I Find a Referral Partner section below.

Step 4 – Eligibility Review

A Recognition Counts Program Coordinator will review your Career Action Plan and contact you to discuss eligibility. If you meet all the eligibility criteria you will be invited to attend an information session where you will learn more about the program. 

Next Steps

If you decide to apply for the Recognition Counts loan, the Program Coordinator will work with you to prepare a loan application package. If your application is approved, you will then meet with an Assiniboine Credit Union account manager to sign the loan paperwork and receive the loan. 

The application process takes approximately 2 – 4 weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact the Recognition Counts Loan coordinator at 204-927-9937 or rc_info@seedwinnipeg.ca

Forms and Guides

• Client Registration Guide
• Client User Guide
• Example Career Action Plan
• Example Application Form

Referral Partners 

Contact and make an appointment with a Career Coach at a location close to you: 

Note: This section is for exclusive use of Recognition Counts Referral Partners. 

For Employment Coaches and Counsellors 

If this is the first time you are referring a client to Recognition Counts, use the username and password already assigned to you to login here. 

If you do not have a username and password already assigned, call Recognition Counts at 204-927-9937. 

Once logged in: 

1. Go to the “Registration Codes” tab and click on “Generate a registration Code”. 
2. Give the unique code generated to your client and tell them to go to www.recognitioncounts.ca to register and to complete the Career Action Plan. 
3. You will receive an email once the client has submitted the Career Action Plan. 
4. Login again and review the Career Action Plan. 
5. If you agree with the plan, click “Yes” to recommend and instantly submit to Recognition Counts staff. Otherwise, click “No.” 
6. If you are Manitoba Start staff, please follow your internal vetting process for CAP approval. 

Forms and Guides for Referral Partners

• Referral Checklist
• Referral Process Guide (with screenshots)
• Referral Process Guide (text only)

2026 Evaluation 

In 2026 the Recognition Counts team hired Inquiry Minded Consulting again to evaluate the first two-years of the third iteration of Recognition Counts program. 

2022 Evaluation

In 2022 the Recognition Counts team hired Inquiry Minded Consulting to evaluate the second iteration of Recognition Counts including Social Return on Investment data.   

Link to download the report:

• Recognition Counts Evaluation Report 2023-2026
• Recognition Counts Evaluation Report 2022